Integrated circuits routinely include bond pads, which are used to electrically connect the integrated circuits to external circuits or devices. A bond pad typically includes metal or other conductive material electrically connected to other elements of an integrated circuit. The metal or other conductive material is also exposed for receiving a wire or other type of lead from an external circuit or device. In this way, the external circuit or device is electrically coupled to the integrated circuit through the bond pad.
A bond pad is typically formed by etching through one or more layers of material to reveal an underlying metal layer. The layers that are etched often include a passivation layer and an anti-reflective coating (ARC) layer. The anti-reflective coating layer often represents the top layer of a metal stack forming the metal layer. The metal stack itself is typically formed on an underlying oxide layer.